Eric Gray has flirted with the Vols for months, and the in-state tailback made that relationship official by signing with Tennessee on Thursday.

The All-American from Lausanne Collegiate School in Memphis hosted took a pair of unofficial visits to Tennessee in the last three weeks, building a strong relationship with Vols head coach Jeremy Pruitt and several current signees.

Gray becomes the 18th signee in Tennessee’s 2019 class.

"I like coach Pruitt’s plan for the program," Gray told VolQuest earlier this fall. "They have some nice commitments and have a nice offensive line coming in next year. His plan for the team is pretty good and how he sees the team in the future and his vision for the program."

Gray is an important piece of the puzzle for the Vols, as they wanted to add a true tailback in this class. The 5-foot-11, 190-pound Memphis native is among the most dynamic runners in the country, scoring 124 career touchdowns (a state record) and rushing for 2,499 yards as a senior. Gray was recently named a Mr. Football Award Winner for the third consecutive season after rushing for more than 2,000 yards the last three years.

Gray committed to Michigan last November, but he didn’t Ann Arbor since last season, cancelling multiple scheduled trips. Meanwhile, Gray took five different trips to Tennessee this fall, including an official visit the weekend of the Florida game. He’s developed a good relationship with area recruiter and wideouts coach David Johnson and he strongly believes in the direction of the program under Pruitt — despite Tennessee’s 5-7 season in Year 1.

"I'm not looking at teams for this year," Gray said. 'I'm looking at teams for next year and the next several years. I'm not there right now, so I'm looking at what are we going to look like and what commits are coming and how are we going to build this into something great?"

While Ole Miss and Texas A&M continued to recruit the tailback, Gray effectively shut down his recruitment following a trip to South Carolina. He will enroll early after playing in the All-American Bowl on January 5.